U.S. patent application number 10/292584 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-05 for device picker in handler.
This patent application is currently assigned to Mirae Corporation. Invention is credited to Cho, Cheol Hoon.
Application Number | 20030102879 10/292584 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 19716096 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030102879 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cho, Cheol Hoon |
June 5, 2003 |
Device picker in handler
Abstract
Disclosed is a device picker in a handler. The present invention
picks up to transport at least four devices backward or forward
simultaneously as well as maintains a simple structure of the
device picker, thereby enabling to improve test efficiency. The
present invention includes a vertical plate installed on the
installation rest to be movable, a plurality of variable pitch
blocks installed in parallel with each other on a lower end of the
vertical plate through guide members to be movable in right and
left directions to enable right/left pitch adjustment, a pair of
pickup members installed on front and rear sides of each of the
variable pitch blocks through guide members to ascend/descend,
respectively, the pickup members coupled with each other to
interoperate in opposite directions to pick up and release the
devices alternately, a block driving means for moving the variable
pitch blocks in a lateral direction, and a pickup member driving
means for interoperating the pickup members to move upward and
downward in opposite directions respectively.
Inventors: |
Cho, Cheol Hoon;
(Kyonggi-do, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FLESHNER & KIM, LLP
P.O. BOX 221200
CHANTILLY
VA
20153
US
|
Assignee: |
Mirae Corporation
|
Family ID: |
19716096 |
Appl. No.: |
10/292584 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
324/757.01 ;
324/762.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11C 29/56 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
324/754 |
International
Class: |
G11C 029/00; G01R
031/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 19, 2001 |
KR |
2001-71844 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In an apparatus mounted an installation rest installed on a body
of a handler to move horizontally to pick up to transport devices
from one side of the handler to the other side of the handler, a
device picker in the handler, comprising: a vertical plate
installed on the installation rest to be movable; a plurality of
variable pitch blocks installed in parallel with each other on a
lower end of the vertical plate through guide members to be movable
in right and left directions to enable right/left pitch adjustment;
a pair of pickup members installed on front and rear sides of each
of the variable pitch blocks through guide members to
ascend/descend, respectively, the pickup members coupled with each
other to interoperate in opposite directions to pick up and release
the devices alternately; a block driving means for moving the
variable pitch blocks in a lateral direction; and a pickup member
driving means for interoperating the pickup members to move upward
and downward in opposite directions respectively.
2. The device picker of claim 1, the block driving means
comprising: an electric motor installed on the vertical plate; a
pinion gear unit coupled with the electric motor to revolve; and a
rack gear unit fixed to an upper end of the variable pitch block to
gear into the pinion gear unit to move straight in the lateral
direction.
3. The device picker of claim 1, the pickup member driving means,
comprising: driving and driven pulleys installed at upper and lower
ends of one side of each of the variable pitch blocks to revolve,
respectively; an electric motor revolving the driving pulley; a
belt coupled across with the driving and driven pulleys to be
driven upward and downward by revolution of the driving pulley; a
front connecting bracket having one end coupled with one side of
the belt and the other end coupled with the pickup member in the
front side; and a rear connecting bracket having one end coupled
with the other side of the belt and the other end coupled with the
pickup member in the rear side.
4. The device picker of claim 2, the pickup member driving means,
comprising: driving and driven pulleys installed at upper and lower
ends of one side of each of the variable pitch blocks to revolve,
respectively; an electric motor revolving the driving pulley; a
belt coupled across with the driving and driven pulleys to be
driven upward and downward by revolution of the driving pulley; a
front connecting bracket having one end coupled with one side of
the belt and the other end coupled with the pickup member in the
front side; and a rear connecting bracket having one end coupled
with the other side of the belt and the other end coupled with the
pickup member in the rear side.
5. The device picker of claim 2, wherein a vacuum nozzle absorbing
a device surface by vacuum pressure is formed at a lower end of
each of the pickup members.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the Korean
Application No. P2001-71844 filed on Nov. 19, 2001, which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a picker of picking up a
device for transport in a handler, and more particularly, to a
device picker in a handler for picking up a plurality of pairs of
devices simultaneously at one side of the handler to transfer to
load them to the other side.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, devices such as memory semiconductor devices,
n-memory semiconductor devices, and the like and modules having
such devices arranged on a single substrate to construct circuits
are inspected by various tests for shipment. The handler is an
apparatus used for testing the devices and module RAMs
automatically.
[0006] Most of the handlers carries out not only general
performance test at room temperature but also high and low
temperature tests for checking whether the devices and module RAMs
operate normally by building up environments of extremely high or
low temperature through an electric heater or liquefied nitrogen
jetting system in an airtight chamber.
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a handler for testing
devices such as memory semiconductor packages.
[0008] Referring to FIG. 1, a loading stacker 10, on which user
trays receiving a plurality of devices to be tested are loaded, is
installed in a front part of the handler. And, an unloading stacker
20 is installed at one side of the loading stacker 10 so that the
devices are classified by test results after completion of the
tests to be received in the user trays.
[0009] Buffer units 40, on which the devices transferred from the
loading stacker 10 are temporarily loaded, are installed to move
back and forth at both sides of a middle part of the handler.
[0010] And, an exchange unit 50 is installed between the buffer
units 40. In the exchange unit 50, carried out are a process of
transferring devices of the buffer unit 40 to be tested and
reloading the transferred devices on a test trays T and another
process of loading the test-completed devices of the test trays on
the buffer units 40.
[0011] Between the handler front part on which the loading and
unloading stackers 10 and 20 are arranged and the handler middle
part on which the exchange and buffer units 50 and 40 are arranged,
first and second pickers 31 and 32 moving linearly along an X-Y
axis to pick up to transport the devices are installed. The first
picker 31 moves between the loading and unloading stackers 10 and
20 and the buffer units 4 to pick up to transport the devices, and
the second picker 32 moves between the buffer units and exchange
unit 50 to pick up to transport the devices.
[0012] In a rear part of the handler, installed is a test site 70
for testing the performance of the devices at a predetermined
temperature by conveying the test trays T having the devices loaded
thereon sequentially after high or low temperature test
environments have been built in a plurality of separate airtight
chambers.
[0013] However, the first and second pickers 31 and 32 of the
above-constituted handler are designed to pick up to transport a
pair of devices only each time, thereby reducing test
efficiency.
[0014] If the number of the pickup means of each picker is
increased, the overall constitution of the pickers becomes
complicated to have difficulty in controlling malfunction and
maintenance of the apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a device
picker in a handler that substantially obviates one or more
problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related
art.
[0016] An object of the present invention is to provide a device
picker in a handler enabling to improve test efficiency by picking
up to transport a plurality of device pairs simultaneously without
complicating the constitution of the device picker.
[0017] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the
invention will be set forth in part in the description which
follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary
skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be
learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other
advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the
structure particularly pointed out in the written description and
claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0018] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in
accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and
broadly described herein, in an apparatus mounted an installation
rest installed on a body of a handler to move horizontally to pick
up to transport devices from one side of the handler to the other
side of the handler, a device picker in the handler according to
the present invention includes a vertical plate installed on the
installation rest to be movable, a plurality of variable pitch
blocks installed in parallel with each other on a lower end of the
vertical plate through guide members to be movable in right and
left directions to enable right/left pitch adjustment, a pair of
pickup members installed on front and rear sides of each of the
variable pitch blocks through guide members to ascend/descend,
respectively, the pickup members coupled with each other to
interoperate in opposite directions to pick up and release the
devices alternately, a block driving means for moving the variable
pitch blocks in a lateral direction, and a pickup member driving
means for interoperating the pickup members to move upward and
downward in opposite directions respectively.
[0019] Preferably, the block driving means includes an electric
motor installed on the vertical plate, a pinion gear unit coupled
with the electric motor to revolve, and a rack gear unit fixed to
an upper end of the variable pitch block to gear into the pinion
gear unit to move straight in the lateral direction.
[0020] Preferably, the pickup member driving means includes driving
and driven pulleys installed at upper and lower ends of one side of
each of the variable pitch blocks to revolve, respectively, an
electric motor revolving the driving pulley, a belt coupled across
with the driving and driven pulleys to be driven upward and
downward by revolution of the driving pulley, a front connecting
bracket having one end coupled with one side of the belt and the
other end coupled with the pickup member in the front side, and a
rear connecting bracket having one end coupled with the other side
of the belt and the other end coupled with the pickup member in the
rear side.
[0021] More preferably, a vacuum nozzle absorbing a device surface
by vacuum pressure is formed at a lower end of each of the pickup
members.
[0022] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description of the present
invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide
further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic layout of a general
handler;
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a bird's-eye view of a handler having a
device picker according to the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a bird's-eye view of an assembly of a
device picker having components disassembled in part according to
the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates a bird's-eye view of an assembled device
picker according to the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the device picker in FIG.
4; and
[0029] FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of the device picker in FIG.
4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to
refer to the same or like parts.
[0031] In order to provide easy comprehension of the present
invention, the following description deals with the case that a
device picker according to the present invention is applied to a
second picker of a handler only. Yet, the present invention is not
intended to limit the application but is applicable to a first
picker of the handler or pickers in other kind of handlers
similarly as well.
[0032] FIGS. 2 to 6 illustrate a structure of a device picker
according to the present invention.
[0033] First of all, each device picker 100 according to the
present invention slides along an installation rest 30 across right
and left sides over buffer units (cf. `40` in FIG. 1) and an
exchange unit 50 to move horizontally, and carries out device
transport and loading between the buffer and exchange units 40 and
50.
[0034] The device picker 100 includes a vertical plate 102 coupled
with the installation rest 30 through an LM block (not shown in the
drawing) of an LM guide 103 and a pair of variable pitch blocks
104a and 104b installed at a lower end of the vertical plate 102 in
parallel with each other. The variable pitch block 104a is
connected to be fixed to the vertical plate 102 and the other
variable pitch block 104b is coupled with the LM block 103a of the
LM guide 103 installed at the vertical plate 102. Thus, the
variable pitch blocks 104a and 104b move in right and left
directions to adjust an interval between right and left sides, i.e.
a pitch.
[0035] An electric motor 105 is installed over the vertical plate
102 as a driving means for moving the variable pitch block 104 in a
lateral direction. A pinion gear unit 106 is coupled with a lower
part of the electric motor 105 to receive a driving force of the
electric motor 105, and gears into a rack gear unit 107 fixed to an
upper end of the variable pitch block 104b. As the pinion gear unit
106 starts to revolve by the electric motor 105, the rack gear unit
107 moves straight right and left to move the variable pitch block
104b right and left.
[0036] Meanwhile, pickup members 110a and 110b are coupled with
front and rear sides of each of the variable pitch blocks 104a and
104b to pick up devices through an LM block 109a of an LM guide
109, respectively. And, each of the pickup members 110a and 110b
has a vacuum nozzle 111 at its lower end to absorb a device by
vacuum pressure.
[0037] The pickup members 110a and 110b installed in the front and
rear sides of each of the variable pitch blocks 104a and 104b are
coupled to interoperate reciprocally by a driving means, and are
constructed to carry out rise and fall movement in opposite
directions, respectively. A driving pulley 112 and a driven pulley
113 are installed to turn at outer upper and lower ends of each of
the variable pitch blocks 104a and 104b. The driving and driven
pulleys 112 and 113 are coupled with each other through a belt 114.
And, the driving pulley 112 is coupled with an electric motor 115
to receive a turning force.
[0038] Moreover, one end of a front connecting bracket 116 is
connected to the pickup member 110a at the front side and the other
end of the front connecting bracket 116 is connected to one side of
the belt 114. One end of a rear connecting bracket 117 is connected
to the other pickup member 110b at the rear side and the other end
of the rear connecting bracket 117 is connected to the other side
of the belt 114.
[0039] Hence, if the driving pulley 112 starts to turn by the
electric motor 115, the belt 114 coupled with the driving pulley
112 is driven upward and downward to move upward and downward the
pickup members 110a and 110b, which are coupled with the belt 114
through the connecting brackets 116 and 117, at the front and rear
sides along the opposite moving directions of the belt 114,
respectively.
[0040] As mentioned in the foregoing description, the pickup
members 110a and 110b in a front line of the device picker and
those in a rear line of the device picker go up and come down
alternately to pick up devices, respectively. Namely, when the
pickup members 110a at the front side of each of the variable pitch
blocks 104a and 104b go up or come down together, the other pickup
members at the rear side come down or go up together. Thus, the
pickup members 110a and 110b carry out the operation of picking up
the devices.
[0041] The above-constituted device picker according to the present
invention operates in the following manner.
[0042] First of all, once the first picker 31 of the handler brings
a device to be tested to the buffer unit 40 from the tray (not
shown in the drawing) of the loading stacker 10, the device picker
100 of the present invention functioning as a second picker is
aligned right over the buffer unit 40 to pick up the device.
Subsequently, the electric motor 115 is driven to make the pickup
member 110a in the front line go down so that the vacuum nozzle 111
absorbs the device by suction. The electric motor 115 is then
driven inversely to make the pickup member 110a go up. In this
case, as mentioned in the foregoing description, the other pickup
members 110b in the rear line carry out the movement opposite to
that of the pickup members 110a in the front line.
[0043] After the buffer unit 40 has moved away with a predetermined
distance, i.e. to a location that the pickup member 110b in the
rear line enables to pick up the next device of the buffer unit 40,
the electric motor 115 operates to make the pickup member 110b in
the rear line go down so that the vacuum nozzle 111 absorbs the
device by suction. The electric motor 115 then operates inversely
to make the pickup member 110b go up.
[0044] In this case, the pickup member 110a in the front line and
the other pickup member 110b in the rear line are preferably
disposed at the same level to prevent collision with other
structures of the handler while being transported.
[0045] Thereafter, while the device picker 100 is picking up the
device, the vertical plate 102 is transferred to the exchange unit
50 along the installation rest 30 by an additional driving means
such as linear motor, ball screw (not shown in the drawing), or the
like to reload a device on the test tray (not shown in the
drawing). In this case, operation of the device picker 100 is
carried out in the above-explained manner similarly.
[0046] The operation of transporting the test-completed device
received in the test tray T of the exchange unit 50 to the buffer
unit 40 follows the operation of the device picker 100, thereby
being skipped in this description.
[0047] Meanwhile, if the species of the devices to be tested in the
handler is changed, the species of the trays receiving the devices
are changed as well as a lattice size of the tray having the
corresponding device put thereon is changed. Hence, the device on
the tray fails to be aligned with the pickup members 110a and 110b
of the device picker 100.
[0048] In such a case, an interval between the pickup members 110a
and 10b of the device picker should be adjusted in a manner that
one pitch adjustment in a lateral direction is performed by moving
the variable pitch block 104b while the other pitch adjustment in a
front/rear direction is performed by adjusting forward/backward
displacement of the buffer unit 40 on the handler body.
[0049] Hence, if the electric motor 105 is operated as much as a
setup value to turn the pinion gear unit 106, the rack gear unit
107 is moved with a distance that is given. Thus, the interval
between the pickup members 110a and 10b is adjusted to complete
alignment.
[0050] Accordingly, the present invention picks up to transport at
least four devices backward or forward simultaneously as well as
maintains a simple structure of the device picker, thereby enabling
to improve test efficiency.
[0051] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made in the present invention.
Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the
modifications and variations of this invention provided they come
within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *